Heart of Everything
by stAnd out - SHOUT OUT
Summary: Nightmares often fade into the back of ones mind, but the darkness is always lurking within the dark recesses of our memory. Dr Spencer Reid strives to save a young woman from the horrors her life pushes upon her before an innocent life is lost; entangling himself in a way he never expected. ReidxOC
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

Salina Blake stepped up toward the counter as she tried to figure out how to work her new iPod. She knew that she should have kept the instructions, but no, she decided that the Touch was just like the Nano and decided to toss them. Letting out a sigh, she placed the iPod into the back pocket of her jeans and stepped up toward the counter, offering the young woman standing there a small smile.

"What can I get you?" The woman asked, clearly tired from the sound of her voice. Salina tried to fight back to urge to study the woman further, and looked up at the orders once more to make sure that she had them correct.

"A large tea, double double with milk, not cream and a blue berry bagel with butter, toasted." She requested, giving the woman time to place the orders down and handing over the needed money, leaving a tip, before stepped down the counter to the receiving end. A young male was working hard on the different orders, with only one other person to help him with the early morning rush.

"Blueberry bagel toasted with butter, and a large tea." He called, looking through the people for an acknowledgment. Salina stepped forward with a smile and accepted the drink and bag, before stepping away from the counter once more and headed toward a table. The peace of her morning was short lived though, when her phone began to vibrate in the front pocket of her jeans. Letting out a sigh, she put her order down and pulled the phone from her pocket to check who the caller was.

_Jean Blake_

Salina looked at the caller ID for a moment in confusion, wondering why her sister was calling her now of all times. She had sworn to burn all bridges to her immediate family because their parents had sworn to cut her off from them if she didn't leave the man that she was dating. Jean was the one that acted first and left with her new boyfriend, she left. Not even a year later, he left her and she came limping back to their parents like a hurt dog, but they turned her away. One look from Salina, and she sent Jean cowering away from her.

Hitting the _Accept_ button on the screen, Salina brought the phone to her ear.

"Hello?" Salina asked calmly, only praying that this conversation wouldn't ruin her day off. Sitting down at one of the tables, her hand raised up to her only slightly enlarged belly. Yes, Salina was now nearly four months pregnant. Her baby bump was still very small, hardly noticeable.

"Salina? Oh thank god you answered-"

"What do you want, Jean?" Salina asked, though her voice was still calm as her hand smoothed over her stomach in rhythmic circles, as she had become accustomed to doing when she was stressed of upset. She heard Jean's voice trembling as she spoke.

"Please, I need to meet you, Salina. It's really important, and it's not about money or mom and dad, I just need some advice and I think that it would really help if I could talk to you." Her sister sounded as though she were crying, her voice cracking every couple of words, pausing half way through to try and calm her breathing.

"Jean, you need to calm down," Salina began, letting a small sigh into her words. "You'll have another panic attack. I'll meet with you, alright. We can talk sometime this evening, are you free?" Salina's hand left her rounding stomach to take her tea in hand, her fingers causing the paper wrap label around the cup to spin.

"Of course, this evening. Is the diner down Edward's street alright, the one mom and dad used to take us to?" She asked, her voice still shaky. Salina almost felt bad about the anger she felt toward her sister, who was clearly distraught.

"I'll see you at seven." Pulling the phone away and hitting _End Call_ before Jean could say anything further, Salina leaned back in her seat as she sighed heavily. Her day was now ruined.

Salina walked up the steps to her apartment again, smiling to the woman that lived next door to her as she walked with her sons down the front steps. Salina had lived on her own since she had gotten out of high school, and forced herself through college for art.

"Salina, how are you handling, dear?" Malinda's sons complained about being late for this game and tugged on their mother's arms.

"I'm doing wonderful, we'll talk later, I wouldn't want to hold you up." Malinda smiled in thanks before ushering her boys toward the parking garage that Salina had just exited. She turned back toward the front door of the building, ascending the final grouping of steps slowly. She wasn't looking forward to meeting up with Jean, but she had told her that she would come, and Salina was true to her word. She just needed to grab some more money and her coat before she headed out.

Stepping into her apartment with a sigh of relief, glad that it was still warm from when she had left this morning, even though she had made sure to turn her heat off before she walked out. She took her light fall coat so that she wasn't dressed too heavily, but so that she was warm on the walk over. Making sure to use the washroom quickly and grab a snack before heading out the door, she was sure that she was going to be a bit late so the cafe, but she didn't care about what Jean thought. She could live with waiting a couple extra minutes.

The walk to the cafe was easy and helped to calm Salina down, the cool air always helped to keep Salina calm when there was something that was heavy on her mind. It was a bad habit of hers ever since she had moved into the city, where she was able to walk around easily to her destinations and didn't have to spend money on bus or cab fares. She doubted that she would be doing much walking after a couple more months into her pregnancy.

She hadn't expected to get pregnant, although she had been hoping for children in the future, she just wasn't expecting one so soon. She was single, and her parents had been stressing for her to move back home so that she didn't have to go through everything alone. She had assured them that they would be the first she would call if she was ever in need of anything. Her boyfriend, Jordan Master, had run off on her just a week shy of their one year anniversary, disappearing off the face of the earth. They had gotten into an argument about how Jordan was always spending the money that she made on poker, at the bar and other pointless orders like Playboy. She had found out a month later that she was seven weeks pregnant. She was expected in late May, which she thought was a wonderful time for a baby. She wasn't looking forward to living through the winter with an enlarged stomach, though, since she would have to buy a very large coat.

She hadn't even considered getting rid of the baby when she had found out, even though she was going to be a single parent. She knew that it wasn't the baby's fault that their father had run away and didn't see the point in aborting, there was no reason to terminate an innocent life. She remembered when the first signs began to show, her missed cycle, the hunger, the sickness. She had bought a test that same week that the symptoms all began to show, crying as the pink plus appeared. They weren't tears of sadness, though, but slight fear. The fear was long gone by now, though. She had friends and family that were encouraging her all the way.

The cafe came into view, getting a small sigh from Salina that had the slightest fog forming in the air. She knew that this visit was going to feel like it would take forever. She just hoped that her midwife didn't know about how stressed out she was, the woman was very small but can be very intimidating. She was also one of Salina's closest friends. That made her even more frightening when she pressed harder on Salina, already considering the baby to be her own little niece or nephew.

Walking up the three simple steps that led into the homey cafe, Salina was glad for the warmth that the building provided, the smell of coffee, tea and different foods ticking her nose. She smiled at the woman behind the counter, Elena, who had become an close friend to Salina after she had become a regular at the cafe. She even brought Salina some of the foods that were given to her for free when she didn't want them.

Salina spotted Jean a couple of table away from the door, fiddling with the small tray of spoons, forks and butter knives that sat on the clean surface. She took in a breath to encourage herself a bit, before walking over to her shaky sister. Jean looked unhealthy pale, her fingers were bone skinny and she was shaky as she looked around. When Salina stopped beside her table, her younger sister jumped.

"Jean," Salina started, her brows knitting together as she looked down at the other burnet in worry. Jean leapt up to hug her before Salina really had a chance to react, taking her by surprise as she wobbled slightly, before she righted herself once more and returned her sisters hug awkwardly.

"Salina, thank you so much for coming. I didn't order yet because I didn't know how long we'd be staying." Jean was talking quickly, her eyes darting over Salina's shoulder every couple of words. "There's someone that I want you to meet." Jean's bony fingers took Salina's arm and turned her around slightly, toward a man that had been standing near the counter a couple minutes before. He was dressed dark, with a large overcoat on that had a high collar. It someone looked at him from the side, they would only be able to see from the eyes up.

"Jean, what's-"

"This is my new boyfriend, Rich."

"Jean-"

Before Salina could get another word out, she felt the presence of the man, Rich, to her right. Something pressed lightly against her side that had her blood turned to ice. Looking down, she just barely caught sight of the muzzle of a gun pressed to her abdomen. Not even turning to look at Rich, Salina's wide, terrified eyes fell to her sister. Jean had the deepest look of guilt someone could, her eyes glazed with unshed tears, dark shadows beneath her eyes and hallow cheeks. She looked like the walking dead to Salina.

"Walk outside, eyes forward. Anything funny and you'll be leaving here in a body bag." The rough voice had an undertone that strictly told Salina to obey anything she was told. She nodded silently, before she began toward the door with her sister and the man on either side of her. She was sure that all of the blood had drained from her face and her whole body was shaking. She couldn't stop thinking about the muzzle of the gun, pointing directly to her unborn child. She forced herself to send a smile over to Elena, but she could still see the alarm in the woman's eyes; she knew that something was wrong.

"Please, I'll do whatever you want, just don't shoot," Salina whimpered quietly once they were out of the cafe. The gun remained hidden within the folds of the man's coat while he forced her over toward a large van parked at the curb. Jean opened the door for him, her nimble fingers shaking and straining to open the heavy door. While Jean was struggling with the door, Salina was stripped of her iPod and Cell Phone. She was soon shoved in roughly into the van, landing on her side as her arms came around her stomach. Jean jumped in behind her before the door was slammed closed. There was the grinding of metal as the door was locked. One glance and Salina saw that the handle to open the lock from the inside had been removed and the lock snap had been snapped off.

"I'm so sorry, Salina." Jean whimpered from in front of Salina, her back leaning against a screen of mesh wiring, separating them from him. Rich slid into the driver's seat moments later, the door slamming closed after he had seated himself.

"Not a word, you know the drill, Jean."

"Don't say anything, Salina, trust me." Jean's pleading eyes proved the direness of what could happen if Salina screamed for help, so she held her tongue. As the truck lurched away from the curb, Salina felt a rush of nausea grip her and hand to situate herself so that she was sitting with her knees drawn up, her head leaned forward between her thighs as she took in deep, slow breaths. There were no seats in the back of the truck; there was nothing in the back of the truck, actually. There were only a couple of curtains that had been placed up unprofessionally, blocking the windows. There was more wiring on the windows as well, screwed on into the metal plating. The plastic that had once made the van look safe and neat had been ripped off so that the wiring in the doors showed.

"Where are we going?" Salina asked, still keeping her breathing even.

"Are you alright, are you gunna be sick? Cause he won't like that." Jean's hand found Salina's shoulder, who promptly shook her off as soon as she was touched.

"No, I'm not alright, you conniving bitch." The words slipped before Salina could stop them, but she couldn't bring herself to apologize to her sister. She and her baby were in danger, their lives were on the line and it was all because of Jean and her stupid life choices.

"I'm sorry, Salina. I didn't know he would be like this when I met him. I was kicked out on the streets and he offered a place to stay, I was desperate."

Salina didn't listen to what her sister was saying, only leaned her temple against her knee so that she was facing away from Jean, her thoughts beginning to wonder. She was going to die, her baby wasn't even going to able to live. She wasn't able to keep her own unborn baby protected for half her pregnancy. She couldn't let them know, though, because he might use it against her. Threaten to cause her to miscarriage if he knew. She felt her eyes prickle with tears as her arms clutched at her stomach, hoping for the baby to give her faith, give her hope. Anything, just aid in letting them both live through this nightmare.

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**This is my first time trying to write a Criminal Minds story, but I hope everyone likes it! Please review and tell me what you think!**


	2. A Life Unlived

**A Life Unlived**

Salina woke to a frightening jolt as the van stopped abruptly, followed by a choked sob from her younger sister. She looked up toward the door to see the silhouette of the man on the other side of the curtain, a light behind him showing his form through the darkness. She wiped her tear stained cheeks and took a deep breath, the musky scent of the van wafting into her senses. When the door was opened, the gun was raised again, but this time it was in plain sight. There was a silencer on the gun.

"You first," The gruff voice sounded as he pointed the gun to Salina. She shivered involuntarily as she slowly edged toward the door. She didn't know what could set this man off, so she would have to do everything with extreme caution. "Hold out your hands, wrists together." Salina did so reluctantly, her hands shaking. He bound her wrists together with a nylon cable tie, pulling them tight to the point that her wrist bones were rolling together. After he finished pulling the tie tight, he retrieved the gun—which he had slipped inside his jeans—and pulled Salina from the van violently. The young woman stumbled as she almost tripped onto her face, and she would have if Rich hadn't been holding her wrists still.

She knew better than to say a word as she kept her eyes averted from him, not wanting to provoke him. Instead, she looked toward the building that he had brought her to. There was a large metal construction warehouse before her, old, rusting and abandoned. The fear began to creep up her spine again, causing her whole body to tremble. She could hear the rough sound of the man's laugh behind her, before he released her wrists to shove her forward. The only thought that processed in her mind was the fact that he clearly had no intention of letting her go if he was letting her see where he was keeping her.

She tried not to concentrate much on what happened. He continued to push her inside, keep the gun against her back as a warning. A constant reminder that he could kill her easily if she tried anything. She didn't try anything, just moved where he told her to go inside the building. The warehouse was mostly empty in the main room, only some shelves that had sealed boxes on them. They must have been used regularly, though, because there wasn't any dust on them. She was finally shoved one last time into a tiny, confined room. The walls were all metal, just as the rest of the building was. There was a single blanket, a chair with a hole in the seat and a bucket underneath and a small cluster of moulding sheets.

"Now, be a good little girl and I'll come back to talk to you soon." Salina's cable tie was cut, and then the door was closed behind her. The metal door didn't fit properly with the rest of the room and a small crack of light was left shining through. She squinted against the darkness that he had left her in and stumbled to where she had remembered the blanket to be. She folded the blanket as best as she could, making a makeshift mattress, before curling up against the wall and nearly passing out as soon as she leaned against the cold metal.

A metal door opened noisily, but the noise didn't stir the woman within the tiny room, curled up in the far corner, her auburn hair falling into her face as her head tilted forward. The large looming form of a man stepped into the room quickly, leaving the door ajar, the gleam of a pocketknife hitting the light as it bounced off the blade and danced along the wall. A large hand took hold of the soft auburn locks of hair, pulling hard to draw the body up from the floor. A strangled scream came from the female as her hands flew up to try and try his fingers from her hair.

"Shut up!" Salina fell still as the man's voice yelled harshly in her ear, spit flying onto her cheek and neck. She shuddered and went still, trying to stand taller so that he wasn't pulling on her hair as much. A rough tug had her stumbling after him, bent at the waist and tripping behind him as he walked from the room.

She didn't think to open her eyes, look for a way to escape, only stumbled behind the man as he tugged her hair. She was only released a moment before she was pushed back into a cold metal chair. More cable ties were done on her wrists, her feet left free. She looked around the room she was in, noticing that it was the same front room she had walked through earlier. When she looked to her right, she saw that Jean was also strapped down, a dirty white rag gagging her.

"Jean?"

"Don't talk."

Salina fell silent as she looked down at her lap, her heart beginning to speed up within her chest. She was nearly sure that he could hear it, the beat pounding in her ears as she watched him move in and out of her view. She didn't even try turning her head to follow his movements.

"I've never done sisters before, this'll be interesting."

Another scream was gagged as Salina saw him carrying his knife toward her again, Jean's gargled voice begging him to leave her alone. Salina whimpered as she felt him pull another white cloth, just as dirty and grimy as Jean's pull around her face, forcing her jaw apart and between her teeth. She gagged against the taste, forcing herself not to vomit. A sloppy wet kiss met her cheek a moment later, causing her to shake her head in an involuntary reaction. The man only chuckled at her antics, though, before the small hand knife arched down through her line of sight straight into her upper thigh.

Salina's muffled scream drowned out Jean's as she watched the knife dig into her sister's thigh. Salina screamed until her throat was dry and her lungs were empty, continuing to whimper and sob as hot tears trailed down her face, only to be caught by the gag. The knife was violently pulled from her flesh again, causing Salina to scream out again, choking on air when the gag disrupted her regular air flow.

"Nice set of lungs there, girly." The knife arched again, this time higher, toward Salina's upper arm. She screamed before the blade even made contact, her thigh still throbbing in pain and gushing blood as her heart began to beat faster and faster in fear and panic. She was going to die, and she was going to kill her baby from the stress.

Jean's garbled screams were all that she could hear as her head fell forward, looking down at the large red stain that was spreading along her right leg. Her once blue jeans darkened to the point that they almost looked black, the dim light making the blood flow seem far worse. She continued to cry, her sobs becoming painful within her chest, her temples pounding. Her arm stung from the deep cut that had been left there, more of the red sticky liquid dripping from her elbow down onto the concrete floor.

A nightmare, it all just had to be a nightmare. She couldn't have been forced into such a terrible fate. She had prayed for her baby to have a clean pregnancy and delivery, she had made sure that she kept herself healthy. She had gone most of her life with good choices, though she wasn't perfect, she wasn't a bad person, and she didn't see why she deserved this. How anyone could deserve this.

It seemed like hours later and a third cut adorning her collar bone before she was cut loose and dumped back into her cell of a room. She didn't even pull herself to the blanket after the door had been closed. She curled herself up as best as she could and let her sobs shake through her form, leaving her head pounding harder than it had been previously and her limbs screaming for medical attention.

The crusty feeling of dried blood on her chest finally had Salina moving hours later, pulling herself over to the blanket. From where she had laid on her side, the cut on her arm and collar had bled onto her chest and back, staining her coat and shirt further. She used the small amount of light from the crack in the doorway to inspect her arm. There was an infection beginning, she could tell that easily. But it had stopped bleeding and there was blood clotted over the wound. When she felt the wound on her collar, she noticed that the skin was also swollen and tender, tenderer than a cut so small should have been. The blade that he used clearly hadn't been clean, she would have known that long before he even cut her.

When she finally looked down at her leg, she felt a wave of nausea hit her like a physical wave. There was so much blood from the injury that there was a clear ring of blood all over her thigh, both side and the top and bottom. She couldn't tell if it had stopped bleeding entirely, but the flow wasn't as severe has it had been when she was dumped inside the room.

Carefully lying on her back, she worked to pull down her jeans, glad that she wasn't the kind of girl to wear skinnies. Her leg throbbed from the work, but she finally got her pants just past the injury, making it easier for her to inspect. She could still see the slightest about of blood leaking from the wound, but it was hard to tell how bad the flow was because of the amount of red crust that was already about the infected injury.

Shucking off her coat, she was glad that the material on the inside was so flimsy. Making sure the piece she chose was free of blood, she tore off a section of the fabric and folded it up into a thick square. Carefully, she placed the square over the knife stab. Ripping a longer strip, not caring if there was blood on it, she used the strip to hold down the square of fabric and tied the material tightly. After she was sure that her make-shift bandage wasn't going to fall down, she pulled her jeans back up carefully, both for the fear of moving the bandage and the fact that her whole leg felt like it was on fire.

She shook her head to try and clear the pain, but the movement only seemed to worsen her headache and cause her to become extremely lightheaded. Salina leaned back against the metal wall to try and steady her spinning vision. The familiar metallic sound of the door opening caused her to tense, a gasp ripping past her lips when her injuries responded poorly to the reflex.

"Dinner time, darling."

Salina looked up only enough to see Rich place an old tray on the floor, before the door closed again. His quiet laugher followed him out, causing Salina's heart to jump in fear. But she knew she had to eat. Tried to use her leg as little as possible, much easier than she had thought since the room was so small she only had to lay on her side to reach the tray. It looked like creamed potatoes with a whole bunch of old vegetables thrown together. When she took a tentative sniff of the food, she knew that the veggies were old. Corn, carrots and broccoli, from what colours she could see.

Something silver on the side of the tray had her slightly worried, before she suddenly recognized the shape of a small hand light. Picking up the small cylindrical light, she felt around for the button to turn it on, finding it on the bottom. As soon as she clicked it on, she knew that she had been right about the food, seeing that there was indeed three different veggies and some badly done up potatoes, but she wasn't going to complain. She was surprised he was feeding her at all.

It took a while to get the food down without it coming back up with a vengeance, but she could at least confirm that her stomach was happy about it once it was full. She lay down on the blankets again, shivering in the cold when she was left wearing only her long sleeved, thin shirt. Her muscles were sore and cramped, her arm and leg felt like they were on fire as she moved, and her head was pounding like she had been hit with a sledgehammer.

Salina didn't know how long she had been lying there, or how long she had been asleep, but she began to wonder how long it would take for something to happen. She didn't know if someone had even realized she was gone, she didn't know if she had been there over night or not, but her hope was still strong within her chest. Her hand fell to her stomach as she felt the tiny bump forming. She just wanted to go home, she just wanted to get as far away from where she was as she could.

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**Hope everyone liked it!**


	3. The Only Solid Ground

**The Only Solid Ground**

Spencer Reid moved through the rooms of the warehouse with Aaron Hotchner a couple of feet to his left, the two men holding their firearms low, pointing to the ground. Spencer slowed to a near stop as Hotch swung his gun up to the room on his left, pointing into the room. He held a flashlight up in his other hand, over his gun, so that he was able to see into the room clearly.

"Clear," Hotch looked over to Spencer before the both continued on.

The BAU had been working on a case for nearly two weeks. There had been someone killing young women, seemingly nothing in common other than their ages. Three bodies had been found, each with one-hundred cuts to the body so that they bleed out. There had been a call placed in from a small cafe down town Edward's Street where a note had been left from a woman hidden in a utensil tray. The waitress had called in the note when she read that it had been about the murders that had been on the news. There had been an address and name on the paper, Jean Blake. Her sister was the newest victim that had been abducted.

Three hours prior, two days after Salina Blake had been abducted, the team had found the building that the women had been bled out in, but not where they were being held. Searching through the building nearly one hundred times, they had finally found that Jean Blake had also left another address carved into one of the wooden support beams. When Richard Jackson had found out that they had been outside, he yelled out the top floor window that he had the women with him and would shoot them if they stepped inside. Morgan and the others were keeping an eye on Rich while Hotch and Reid searched the building quietly for the women, just encase.

"Clear." When they came to a new section of rooms, Reid and Hotch split up to cover the rooms faster, each equipped with a fire arm and flashlight. Reid stepped down the hallway quietly, coming to the first metal door. Opening the chain lock, he pushed the door aside and held his gun up as he shown his flashlight around the room quickly. Clear. The room was completely empty. But patches of dried blood on the floor confirmed that there had been an injured person in the room before.

Stepping away from the room, he stepped up to the door on the opposite side of the small hallway. These rooms looked like they had been built by hand, the metal not fitting properly on the wooden panels and the rooms were all different sizes. Carefully opening the chain that held the door closed, he slid it aside enough for him to swing the light inside, his gun underneath the light as he looked around the space. The still form collapsed on the floor had Reid's heart speeding up.

Pushing the door open the remainder of the way, he stepped into the room quickly and knelt down next to the form, holstering his gun. The auburn hair that seemed to burn red as he flashed his light toward her face confirmed the woman before he even saw her face. There was a cut along her cheek bone and jaw, and a large gash on the arm that he could see first. But as he placed his hand to her pulse he could still feel it beating strongly. Grabbing his communicator, Reid quickly called in to the others.

"I've found Salina Blake, she's still alive but she's going to need immediate medical attention." Scanning over Salina's still form, he counted the injuries to her body. Two cuts to her right arm, one looking much fresher than the other, the two cuts on her face, one on her collar, and a nasty staining of blood from a severe wound on her thigh. All of the wounds had different levels of infection, probably from the blade that the man had used.

Morgan's voice spoke through the radio a minute later, reassuring the younger man. "Copy that, Reid. We got Jean as well; the Medics are on their way, over."

His mind running over the file on Salina, Reid remembered that it had said that she was pregnant when she was taken. He lowered the flashlight to her stomach to look for any injury to her abdomen, but found none. Footsteps echoed up the hall that Reid had come from, causing the burnet to look up toward the door.

"Dr. Reid?"

"In here!"

Reid moved out of the small space so that the two paramedics that had accompanied the team could carry the stretcher into the room. They both had hand lights, looking over Salina Blake's body carefully for any breaks or sprains before they moved her onto the stretcher. Reid made sure to stay close but not in the way as she was carried from the small room. When the overhead lights of the hall hit her face, Reid was shocked at how pale she was, no doubt from the amount of blood she had lost. The flashlights never show very good skin tone, so it was a shock to see when her pale complexion was visible. He remembered her picture from the screen when they had been going over his latest abduction.

"This guy clearly will do anything not to get caught," Morgan said as he looked down at the file that was laid on the table. They were sitting in the hospital waiting room, hoping that the two women from the warehouse would wake up soon. Jean Blake had been leaving hints about where Richard Jackson was going all over the place, so there was a high possibility that she might know where he would go on the run.

"He's clever, he's been avoiding getting caught for years."

Reid looked around the people sitting in the lounge, seeing Morgan thinking hard as he sorted things through inside his mind. JJ and Emily were talking with a doctor a couple of yards away, two other nurses stepping in and out of the conversations about how well the patient was doing. Salina had had to go into surgery to remove the infected flesh at each of her wounds, as well as flush out the drugs that had been put inside her system.

"How's the baby?" Reid asked quietly once Prentiss had parted away from the small huddle.

"The baby's healthy and will be just fine. Ms. Blake is still out cold, but she's stable. Jean Blake, however, is awake."

"Reid, I want you to stay with Salina, keep an eye on her. If we're still talking with Jean when she wakes up, see if you can get some questions in, alright?" Rossi's tone left no room for argument, leaving Reid to only nod his head to the older man. Morgan shook his head in exasperation, sharing a glance with Reid. "JJ will deal with the press, Emily and Morgan, you come with me so we can question the younger sister."

Reid moved to head over toward the room that Salina was assigned, but was stopped carefully when Morgan took Reid's arm to still him.

"Remember, don't turn cold on her, Reid. She's been through a lot and is going to need more than just someone interrogating her." Reid nodded his thanks to his friend's advice before the two split their ways. Reid knew that Salina wasn't awake yet, but he was still slightly worried about trying to talk to a worried, pregnant and hormonal woman.

Reid wasn't surprised when he stepped into Salina's room and saw that she was still sound asleep in her bed, a nurse just leaving the room as she offered Reid a friendly smile. Reid nodded his head back with a hesitant smile, before he stepped carefully into the room. Salina Blake looked as pale as death as she lay still among the white sheets. Her hair was greasy and brittle, and looked like there was still patched of blood caked in the autumn strands.

"Dr. Reid?" a voice asked from behind him. Reid looked back to see the Doctor that had done Salina's surgery.

"Yes."

"I'm Salina's doctor, Dr. Harlet. I was told to come to you with any new news?" Reid nodded along in encouragement, waiting patiently for the doctor to continue.

"There were traces of morphine in her system, probably taken in through the food that he had given her. The baby shouldn't be effected by the dosage that she was administered, and they both seem very healthy after the ordeal. She should wake up in the hour, and she has signed a form that while she is pregnant she refuses any drugs that could harm the baby. When she wakes up, she will be in a lot of pain and I advise a careful questioning when she wakes up. She's going to be in a lot of pain."

"What about the rape kit?"

"There are no signs of tearing or penetration. It seems that he only tortured the woman with cutting. It looks like he used the same knife for all the cutting as well." The Doctor looked over the chart that he held in his hand, as though making sure that everything was up-to-date. "I believe that's it. If there are any more questions just page me, alright?" The doctor handed Reid a slip of paper with his pager number on it, before he retreated to go to his other patients.

Reid moved over to sit in the chair that sat beside the young woman's bed, looking to her bandaged cheek. All of her injuries had been stitched up and had small gauze bandages covering the stitched wounds. Her leg was the only injury that was bandaged heavily. There had been a dangerous infection in her leg that had been hard to fight against, but the danger had passed now that the injected flesh had been removed and the rest cleaned. The dark shadows beneath her eyes were beginning to recede and her colour was gradually returning.

A sudden commotion in the hallway caused Reid to look up from Salina to the closed door, moving to get ready to stand. The door opened a minute later with a large man stepping through, his face structure very similar to Salina's, making it clear that he was related to her in some way. A woman rushed in after him, her eyes red and slightly swollen from crying.

"Salina!"

Reid got to his feet slowly, making sure not to seem threatening to either parent. "Mr. and Mrs. Blake?" He asked carefully.

"Is she alright, please tell me my baby's alright?" Mrs. Riley asked desperately.

"She had surgery a short while ago because of infection, but she's in the clear now. She should be out for a while longer, but if you want I could answer whatever questions you may have to the best of my ability while you wait. I'm Dr. Spencer Reid, I work with the FBI." Reid held out his hand gingerly, waiting for a response. Mr. Blake moved forward first, his large hand engulfing Reid's as he shook his hand with a strong grip. Mrs. Blake was much gentler, her hand small and thin.

"You're helping with catching the man that did this?" Mrs. Blake asked carefully as she moved over to Salina, gently placing a hand on her uninjured cheek.

"Yes, I work with the BAU, Behaviour Analysis Unit. The others have gone to question your other daughter while I was told to stay with Salina encase she woke," Reid explained gently as he moved aside, letting the parents take a moment to check over Salina.

"What have the doctors said, is she going to be alright when she wakes up? What about the baby?"

"There shouldn't be any long lasting physical affects to Salina, she should fully recover from her injuries over time. They performed an ultrasound and the baby seems to be in fine condition, but they want to keep her monitored encase the stress might cause some late effects." Mrs. Blake smiled gently as she placed a tender kiss on her daughter's forehead before moving back. Her husband repeated the gesture, lingering with his lips to her forehead a moment more. Reid could easily see that he was holding back tears, his hands shaking as he gave his daughter's hand a small squeeze.

"He didn't...do anything to her, did he?" He finally asked, his deep voice small as he looked up to Reid.

"It seems that he only held her against her will and used a knife to abuse her and her sister. A rape kit proved that she wasn't sexually abused while she was in his possession."

"Oh thank god," Mrs. Blake muttered to herself as she placed a hand over her heart, her other hand taking hold of her daughters limp one. "What about Jeany?"

Salina Blake squirmed beneath the thin hospital blankets, the heart monitor beside her bed beginning to beep faster. Reid sat up straighter in the chair he was occupying, placing the case file he had been reading over to the side. Salina's skin was beginning to cover in a thin layer of sweat, her face scrunched up in fear and near pain as she tossed her head to the side, facing away from him. Reid stood up carefully and approached her bed, gently placing a hand on her arm.

"Ms. Blake? Ms. Blake, you need to wake up," Reid coaxed as he gently shook her arm, the woman only jumping as he did so. "Salina, you're having a nightmare, you need to wake up." Reid's voice rose as he shook her arm more firmly. Salina's head tossed to the side as she whimpered quietly, her hands clutching the blankets covering her body. "Salina!" Reid yelled finally, grasping her shoulders. She cried out, jumping again, her hands reaching up to grab Reid's arms as her eyes flew open.

"What-where-"

"Sh, it's alright, you're in the hospital, you're safe." Salina looked around in shock as though she didn't really believe him, wanting to see that she was safe with her own eyes. Reid carefully letting go of her shoulders, in turn her releasing his arms. Salina laid back and carefully looked around again. "I'm going to go and get a nurse, alright?"

"No!" She cried out in a scratchy voice, reaching out to him as he started to stand. "Please, don't leave me!" She pleaded quietly. Her voice was cracking so much that he was surprised that she could speak as it was.

"Alright, it's alright," Reid said quietly, letting her take hold of his sleeve as he sat down once more. Hitting the button at the head of the hospital bed to call a nurse, he sat with her as she calmed down, never relinquishing her hold on his shirt.

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**I'm shocked that I haven't gotten any reviews for this story yet! It's kind of discouraging. Anyway, here's chapter three, hopefully I get some feedback this time!**


	4. Life's Movements

**Life's Movements**

Reid stood with the rest of the team as they watched Salina's parents whisper and talk quietly with their daughter—who was still groggy from the drugs and merely smiled and held her parents hands—the nurses bustling around them quickly and efficiently. Jean hadn't been able to give any further information, breaking down into tears as she begins to apologize countless times. Salina had refused her sister's visits, only staying alone or with her parents.

"You should be able to go in and talk to her now, Agent Hotchner," Dr. Harlet started as he stepped up to them, holding Salina's chart. "The drugs have cleared from her system enough that she should be able to communicate clearly, but she's still going to be groggy because of the medication used during surgery."

"Alright, thank you, Doctor." Dr. Harlet nodded his head before moving on to his next patient, giving his chart to the nurse so that it could be filed. "Prentiss and Morgan come with me, Reid, I need you to go with JJ and help her finish with Jean." Reid nodded at the order before he glanced over to where Salina was bidding a good-bye to her parents. Turning to leave, he heard as Hotch greeted the young woman gently, before he was gone from the room.

"I'm Agent Hotchner of the FBI, this is Agent Morgan and Agent Prentiss, are you alright with answering some questions?" Hotch asked carefully as he stood at the end of Salina's bed. She was still pale, but her colour was slowly returning and she looked livelier than she had since they met her.

"That's alright," She confirmed with a small smile touching her lips. "You don't have to stand there if you don't want to; I'm fine with you sitting. Only fair if I'm lying down," She offered quietly, her voice still scratchy. Hotch could see the masked desperation in her eyes as she spoke, her parents unable to see it. It seemed that she just wanted to feel safe, and with federal agents there she was able to gain a fraction of that feeling back. Hotch walked over to the side of her bed and sat down on one of the chairs meant for visitors, hearing as Prentiss did so as well, Morgan remaining standing since there were only two chairs.

"Your sister told us that it was her fault that you were taken, but she can't clarify how. She seemed to have been under drugs while she was being held. Would you be alright with telling us what happened, from the beginning?" Salina's face paled slightly as the smile vanished from her face, showing instead, an inner struggle as she tried to remember.

"It was my day off and I got a call from Jean, she sounded really upset. She was crying, nearly hysterical. She kept saying that she needed to talk and that she wanted to meet with me, and I was afraid that she was going to have a panic attack, so I said that I would meet her that evening." She paused a moment to try and take a breath, looking away from the agents in the room as she did so.

"Take your time, it's alright," Prentiss assured, placing her hand over Salina's gently. Salina took a moment to breathe, before she started again.

"She looked like the walking dead when I saw her. She was so thin and pale, I thought that I was having some kind of nightmare. She looked really nervous, her hands wouldn't stop shaking and she kept fiddling with the things on the table. She said that she wanted me to meet someone, her new boyfriend."

"What can you tell us about the man you met?" Morgan asked gently, interrupting her smoothly.

"He looked...dark. He was wearing all black and the collar of his coat hid most of his face. He stood out really easily, he's the kind of person that as soon as you see you try and steer clear of. On a regular day, I wouldn't have gone near him."

"There is going to be an officer on watch outside your door at all times," Morgan explained gently, Reid standing off to his left. Salina nodded her head, a small smile touching her lips. "We're not going to let this guy get anywhere near you or your sister, alright?"

"Thank you, Agent Morgan."

"Of course." Morgan took her hand and gave it an assuring squeeze before he moved to depart. Reid stepped after him, but paused when he heard Salina call out to him before he had a chance to depart. Morgan looked back at him and motioned for him to go and see the pregnant woman.

"Yes?" Reid asked quietly, unsure of what she could want. She smiled to him, though, and took his hand when he was close enough.

"An Agent told me that you were the one that found me. I just wanted to thank you in person. And also apologize for nearly abducting you when I woke up," She mumbled out the last part, barely enough for him to hear. But Reid did hear and only let out a nervous laugh.

"That's alright, you were frightened. It's only natural to cling to something that resembles safety," Reid said back, relying on his genius brain to speak for him so he didn't mess up. She offered him one last smile, the kindness touching her eyes. Reid couldn't help but to think about what a great mother she would make.

"Uhm, I've already told the lead Agent that I'm going to be moving away from here, my parents want me to be near. They've been through a lot and they want to help with the baby. So I'll be leaving as soon as I'm discharged," She said suddenly, placing her hands gingerly on her abdomen when she spoke of the baby she was growing inside of her.

"That would be best until he's caught."

"Thank you, again, for finding me." Tears started to collect in her eyes, but she never stopped smiling. "I don't know what I would have done if…" She trailed off, her hand stroking the tiny bump that was starting to form against her belly.

"Do you…uhm," Reid paused, wondering why he was trying to hold up a conversation with the woman. It seemed that the aura she gave off was contagious. "Do you know what the sex is?" He asked quietly, seeing her smile.

"No, I don't want to. I want it to be a surprise for when they're born. Would you want that, Agent Reid? Some people like to know so that they can be prepared for when the baby's born, but I think that I would rather keep everything as old fashioned as I can." Reid smiled at her words, understanding her point of view.

"Maybe. I would think that it would depend on the situation or the person."

Salina smiled back at him, nodding her head. "Exactly."

"Salina?"

Both parties of the conversation looked up when they heard a male voice, Salina's face lighting with a smile at the sight of her father standing in the doorway. He smiled back at her in greeting, nodding to Reid respectfully in acknowledgement.

"It was nice talking to you, Ms. Blake. Good-luck," Reid said as he motioned down to her stomach. She smiled and nodded her thanks, the tears that had begun to collect in her eyes from before nearly completely gone. "Mr. Blake," Reid mumbled with a nod of his head as he walked past the large man in the doorway.

"Dr. Reid, wasn't it?" The enormous male said, stopping the genius in his tracks. "Thank you so much for saving my daughter. And my grandchild." Reid was beginning to wonder why everyone was thanking him for saving her life. He wasn't the only one that was working the case and the doctors of the hospital and the EMT workers did far more than he did. But he took the thanks with gratitude and offered the relieved father one last handshake before he stepped off to where Morgan had been waiting for him. Reid noticed when he only mentioned one daughter.

Salina watched the young Doctor leave with a smile still ghosting her lips and her hands still lingering on her stomach. A small nudge against her palm nearly brought tears to her eyes as she looked down, the nervous and anxious feeling of her unborn child returning. She had been petrified when she had first gone to her OBGYN to get a check-up and she said that she was progressing slowly, but was assuring that it was normal for a first pregnancy. She wasn't showing as much as most parents would at four months, but it wasn't uncommon.

"Dad, come here, he's kicking," She said as she reached her hand out for her father's. He offered her his hand as he sat in the chair that Reid had vacated, letting her place his hand on the side of her stomach. A nudge against the side of his palm made his whole face brighten, leaning toward slightly until his face was beside her stomach.

"You're going to be just like your granddad when you grow up, nice and strong." Salina laughed happily as she smiled at her father's words, knowing that, if he could help it, the kid would be a pro soccer player one day, or a hockey player, or maybe even a football player.

"What if it's a girl?"

"She's still going to be nice and strong, just like her mother," He said with a smile, taking her hands and kissing her knuckles. She smiled and leaned down to wrap her arms around her father's broad shoulders, her head resting against his own. She felt content and at peace for the first time since she had woken in the hospital.

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**Yay! Reviews! It's great to finally get some feedback on the story. I live for the reviews, it's the fuel that I need to keep writing. For all the people that read these stories that aren't writers themselves, or even if you are writers and can relate, when someone doesn't get reviews it makes them feel almost like their work isn't appreciated. There also isn't much room for a story to grow if feedback isn't given.**


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